“How much we talking about, darlin’?”
Her eyes were large and luminous as she stared up at him. “Millions.”
Levi nodded. “That’s what you meant earlier when you mentioned Dyson’s political aspirations.”
She nodded. “They all decided it would be the perfect joining of families if I just married Simon and gave him access to my grandmother’s money.” Fire burned in her dark-blue eyes, momentarily driving out the despair. “They thought wrong if they thought this would make me go home.” She snorted. “No, not home. That place was never home.”
Levi’s chest tightened. He hadn’t had much of a childhood to talk about. In fact, he really never remembered being a child. Younger, yes. But not a child. A child had some sense of innocence. Levi had never had that luxury. Linda might have had financial security growing up, but she’d never had any illusions of being anything other than a pawn to be used by her parents.
“I’m sorry, darlin’.” The words were totally inadequate, but he didn’t know what else to say.
“Me too.” She sighed and some of the fire died from her eyes. “I’d rather live on the street than go back to my family. I’ll have to start making plans in the next few days.” She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought. “I’ll keep the store open as long as I can to make some money. I’ll box up everything that’s left and see about putting it in storage.”
Pride welled up in Levi. His woman was a fighter. “You’re going to reopen.”
She yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand as she nodded. “At some point down the road, I’ll have to rent a space. Maybe Cyndi can help me find something suitable. I know she owns property around town. It’s not ideal, but at least it will keep the store open.”
“We can talk more about it tomorrow,” he promised.
Her eyes drifted closed and she snuggled closer to Levi. “I’m sorry I fell apart like that. I’m usually much stronger.”
His arms tightened around her, as if he could protect her from all harm even though he knew that was impossible. There was no physical threat, but this emotional attack had been worse, striking at the very core of who she was and where she came from. Her own family had turned on her. It didn’t get any worse.
“I’ll talk to Cyndi tomorrow,” she mumbled. “If anyone will understand about dysfunctional families, she will.”
Levi knew that Cyndi O’Rourke had been through her own troubles with regards to family. He didn’t know the entire story, but enough to know that Linda was right. She would understand. From what he’d seen, she was also the type of woman to stand beside her friends in a time of crisis. She’d been there for Amanda when she’d had trouble.
The light in the room faded and the streetlights winked on. Levi held Linda until the muscles in his arms began to fall asleep. He didn’t want to move for fear of waking her, but he had things to do.
Shifting as slowly as possible, he laid Linda on the bed beside him. Staring down at her tear-stained face, he made a promise to himself. She would not lose her building, no matter what he had to do in order for her to keep it. Dyson and her family had underestimated the number of friends that Linda had in this town.
He stood and pulled the comforter over her. She murmured in her sleep and snuggled deeper into her pillow. Releasing a soft sigh, she fell back into a deep sleep, exhausted from the stress and from crying.
Tomorrow, she’d be back to her feisty self. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do what he could to help in the meantime. It took a lot of willpower for him to leave her. He wanted to do nothing more than stretch out beside her and gather her into his arms.
Turning, he left the room, carefully closing the door behind him so he wouldn’t wake her. Levi strode to the kitchen table and checked on his laptop. He had initiated several searches this morning and was waiting on information from several sources. There was nothing yet. But there would be by the time he was done. Everyone had secrets, especially the rich and powerful. They were also the folks who would do anything to keep them.
Walking to the window, Levi stared out at the quiet street. The building was on Main Street, but it was a far cry from the city. Several cars passed by, probably folks on their way home. A police cruiser headed toward the center of town, most likely back to the station. It was a quiet place, a place to put down roots.
Levi had never had anywhere that felt like home. Growing up as he had, in a roach-infested apartment with a mother who didn’t even know he was there most of the time, hadn’t left him with any sense of place. His stint in the Army hadn’t helped. He’d gone wherever they’d sent him, living in barracks or tents or sometimes sleeping on the ground for weeks on end when he was on a mission.
Nowhere had ever felt like home until he’d arrived in Jamesville. He was glad he’d come to help Jonah when he’d called. Not that there had ever been any doubt. Jonah was his one good friend. No matter what, he would have come to his buddy’s aid.
But he’d found so much more here. He’d found friends. And he’d found Linda. Being around her gave him a sense of peace. She helped to silence the ghosts that often haunted his sleep, driving him from bed many nights. Working out helped some too. And since he’d been in Jamesville, he’d been pumping iron and jogging until he fell into bed exhausted.
Since he and Linda had gotten together, he’d been jogging in the mornings after she went to work. The change was nice. Instead of running in the dark, he ran when the rest of the world was up and around. Folks were starting to recognize him and wave as he passed by. It was…nice.
He glanced at his watch. It was just after eight. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed.
“Yeah.” The male voice on the other end was brisk.
Levi smiled. “I see your wife hasn’t domesticated you yet.”
Jonah Sutter snorted. “What do you want?”
“I need help.”
There was no hesitation. All traces of humor disappeared from Jonah’s voice. “What do you need?”
Levi’s reply was quick. “I need you to make some calls.”
Chapter Nine
Linda stood in the shower and let the hot water cascade over her. She still couldn’t believe she’d had such a meltdown in front of Levi last night. But she’d been upset and vulnerable when he’d found her.
Still, he’d handled it just fine. Better than fine. He’d let her cry and vent, all the while holding her in his arms. He’d offered her the only thing he could. Comfort.
She grabbed her sponge, squirted some of her rose-scented shower gel on it and began to wash. She’d awoken alone and still fully dressed. It was a grungy feeling to sleep in your clothing, but she’d slept well in spite of it. Other than her eyes being puffy, she felt like her normal self again.
After she’d crawled out of bed and used his bathroom, she’d found Levi hard at work at his kitchen table, tapping away on his laptop.
He’d closed the cover on the computer when she’d appeared and she hadn’t asked what he was doing. If he’d wanted her to know what he was working on, he’d tell her. Besides, she had more than enough to worry about in her own life at the moment.
Sixty days. She had sixty days to relocate Past Promises. She might lose the building, but she wasn’t going to lose the store. The promissory note had been a personal loan to her, strictly for the building and the renovations. The bank could have it.
She ignored the pain in her stomach and continued to wash. She’d searched long and hard for the right location and loved the hundred-year-old building with its brick façade. Rinsing her body, she grabbed her shampoo and squirted a dollop into her palm. She could rent for as long as she had to if it meant keeping her business open.